Trying to assuage their people: India on Pakistan's 'family man' spin for terrorist Hafiz Abdur Rauf

New Delhi, May 12 (IANS) India on Monday dismissed Pakistan's attempts to distort facts around the impact of Operation Sindoor, calling it a predictable disinformation campaign aimed at misleading its own citizens and downplaying the extent of damage inflicted by Indian strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The officials said this during the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) press briefing in New Delhi on Operation Sindoor, responding to questions about Pakistan's narrative surrounding the funeral of terrorists killed in the operation.

"Obviously, that is expected, and they will do whatever it takes to assuage their people and minimise the information of damage that comes out," said Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, Director General Air Operations.

Air Marshal Bharti said, "What media and propaganda spin the other side is trying to make out is a story for them to answer and not a military question for us. We have done our job."

A significant part of Pakistan's attempt to muddy the waters has been its effort to conflate two separate individuals: Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a US-designated terrorist and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, and Abdul Rauf Azhar, a senior Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander reportedly eliminated in the Indian airstrikes.

Pakistani officials have claimed that Abdur Rauf, who led the funeral procession of the slain terrorists in Muridke, was merely "a common family man".

During a recent press conference, Indian officials had released photographic evidence showing Rauf at the helm of the funeral prayers, with high-ranking Pakistani military officers in attendance and coffins draped in Pakistan's national flag --visually affirming what New Delhi described as Pakistan's "institutional support to terrorism."

Abdur Rauf, brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar, is a designated global terrorist sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2010. His Pakistani national ID (CNIC 35202-5400413-9, birthdate March 25, 1973) matches the details in the OFAC sanctions list.

He has played a crucial role in LeT's fundraising and training operations and was deeply involved with Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), a LeT front group disguised as a charity.

Abdul Rauf Azhar, on the other hand, is JeM's operational commander involved in major attacks, including the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. Indian sources claim he was neutralised during Operation Sindoor.

"The presence of Pakistan Army officers, Punjab police officials and local lawmakers at the funeral of LeT terrorists paints a clear picture of state patronage," India said.

Among those spotted were Lt Gen Fayyaz Hussain Shah, Maj Gen Rao Imran Sartaj, Brig Mohd Furqan Shabbir, IGP Dr Usman Anwar, and MLA Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bherth.

Referring to the visuals from Muridke, India said that this was not a "private religious funeral" but a state-backed ceremony.

India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also highlighted the hypocrisy, questioning, "If only civilians were killed, why were funerals being led by UN-proscribed terrorists attended by Pakistan's top military brass?"

The fallout from the funeral ceremony has ignited fresh global concern about Pakistan's persistent support for proscribed terror groups.

The Indian government has reiterated that Operation Sindoor was a counter-terrorist strike, not a military offensive, and took deliberate precautions to avoid civilian casualties.

India has described Pakistan's counterclaims and efforts to project terrorists as civilians as a desperate ploy to shift focus from the hard evidence now publicly available.

--IANS

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